The ‘Investiture of the Gods’ was a story told by Li Nianfan. Everyone was familiar with it. Ziye even revised it from time to time. After all, this was the story of how the Heavenly Temple appeared.
However, this matter was not mentioned in the story. The crowd was shocked.
“Four-Wrongs was the mistress of the Kirin?”
“Should…be.” Li Nianfan was not too sure. The story was quite complex, so he was not sure if the story was actually similar to what happened in this realm.
After pausing, he continued, “It’s a long story. When the sky and the ground were separated, there were four innate elements—earth, water, fire, and wind. They stabilized the space. The four elements then turned into Godly Beasts gradually. First, the Dragons, then the Phoenixes, and the Kirins. They took care of the ground, ocean, and sky. They controlled the order of everything.”
“And then?”
The Fire Phoenix looked at Li Nianfan, her voice trembling.
Even Dragin stared at Li Nianfan without blinking. Her big eyes were filled with the desire for knowledge.
She had always wanted to ask her ancestor about the story of the ancient times. However, he would not tell her no matter what. He was afraid of attracting unnecessary trouble.
To her, her brother Li Nianfan was the best. He could speak and scold anyone as he pleased. Heaven never came up to him for trouble.
This was the history of the Dragons, Phoenixes, and Kirins!
“Then…” Li Nianfan halted. He said, “The three families were in luck. They reached their peak. To snatch control, they broke out into a fight. The fight made the world dark. The sun and moon were dull. The war caused a mess everywhere. The Spirituals vanished.”
Dragin opened her mouth wide in shock. She stared with disbelief. “So clever…”
Her scared ancestor back home actually had such a glorious history?
“Of course, they were clever. They were beasts that were as old as the world.” Li Nianfan returned to the actual topic, “The three families were in a mess, getting hurt and causing troubles. They were punished by Heaven and Luck decreased. From the peak to the pit. To keep their Luck, the Kirin family made his mistress, Four-Wrongs, get involved with the ‘Investiture of the Gods’ to become Jiang Ziya’s pet. With that, whenever Kirins appeared, there was an auspicious ambition.”
“I see.” Everyone had looks of realization. They were also shocked.
Although the story was short, the world portrayed in the story was not one that they had heard of. They did not dare to think of an even more ambitious world!
Ziye took a deep breath and said, “The Kirin family’s so powerful, no wonder they’re so ambitious. It seems that after the ‘Investiture of the Gods’, they didn’t reappear. So, they bribed the Demons.”
Li Nianfan looked at Ziye. He suddenly asked curiously, “Immortal Ziye, you said you’re all rebuilding the Heavenly Temple? How’s the progress?”
Ziye did not want to hide it. She said, “Mr. Li, we’ve found the Heavenly Temple.”
“Found the Heavenly Temple?” Li Nianfan halted. He was shocked.
Who would have thought that he would receive such shocking news with a simple question?
That was the Heavenly Temple! It actually appeared?
So, Immortals like the Emperor, Empress, Taishang Elder, and Yue Lao were still there?
He looked at Ziye and felt his heart racing uncontrollably. He verified, “You found the Heavenly Palace?”
Ziye nodded. She then hesitated for a moment. Finally, she decided to admit to him, “Mr. Li, I’m actually one of the seven adopted daughters of the Empress of the Heavenly Temple. I didn’t mean to keep it from you, I’m sorry.”
Li Nianfan halted. Although he was surprised, he gave a smaller reaction. He could tell that Ziye’s temperament was different from the other Immortals.
“The seven adopted daughters… So, you’re one of the Seven Fairies?”
Ziye nodded weakly.
That was good.
He actually met one of the Seven Fairies? And became friends with her?
Li Nianfan stared at Ziye. He wanted to ask if Ziye knew Dong Yong but he did not do so.
He recalled that when he heard about the Immortals, he even thought about whether the Seven Fairies would come down from the sky. Who would have thought that he actually met one!
Li Nianfan was staring at Ziye, causing her to blush as she became shy. She wondered if she should look away politely or meet his eyes.
Li Nianfan snapped back to reality and asked, “What Immortals are there in the Heavenly Temple?”
Ziye nodded. She then shook her head looking upset.
She said in a low voice, “In the past, yes. Now…the Immortals in the Heavenly Temple are all sealed.”
“I see.” Li Nianfan nodded. He was not surprised. After all, there were not many who had survived the catastrophe.
He could not help thinking.
What kind of cultivational realm had he come to? There was clearly a big wipe-out. Perhaps it was the final stage of the mythology?
If this went on, he suspected that even the cultivators would vanish. By then, only ordinary people would be left in the world. And then…they would evolve again and finally arrive at the science era?
Wow! Unlikely!
Li Nianfan shook off his thoughts. He felt like he was overthinking things.
Whether it was true or not, it had nothing to do with him. He only had to live in the present.
He licked his lips and could not help asking, “Then…can I pay a visit?”
This was the Heavenly Temple. Since he was here, of course, he had to visit it!
Under Li Nianfan’s gaze, Ziye nodded and said, “Of course. Mr. Li’s a Deluxe Merit Saint. You may go anywhere.”
Li Nianfan was delighted. “Wonderful, how great!”
After briefly catching up, Yuecha enthusiastically suggested showing the crowd around the Spiritual Mountain.
Li Nianfan accepted.
With the detailed tour, Li Nianfan instantly knew more about the Spiritual Mountain. Furthermore, since Yuecha wanted to impress Li Nianfan, she even told them her future plans and ambitions.
The Spiritual Mountain…was way bigger than their imagination!
Among those mountains, each mountain would have a golden temple according to Yuecha’s plan. They would look different, adding on to the tall mountain and reaching up to the white clouds. This place would become a Buddhist Country.
This goal was indeed ambitious. Li Nianfan looked at the boundless mountains and found it difficult to imagine how grand it would look like. Perhaps it will be the era of Buddhism soon!
Right until then, the development of Buddhism had gone on track. There were more and more disciples. Inside the temples, there were many monks and meditators. Furthermore, each of them was a cultivator of high ranking. They had surpassed any ordinary sect!
Meanwhile, the crowd arrived at the backyard. The backyard was filled with trees unaffected by the season. They were thick and well-grown. Strangely, the leaves were yellow. As they were blown away by the wind, they fell to the ground in slow motion, covering the ground with a thick layer of leaves.
In the yard, a young monk was sweeping the floor with a broom taller than himself. He was slowly sweeping the floor full of leaves.
Nanan found it funny and she could not help laughing. “Little monk, will you ever finish sweeping this way?”
The young monk stopped. He saw the crowd and instantly put down the broom to run over. “Yes, I will. Brother Jiese told me that when I’m done sweeping them all, he’ll be back by then.”
Nanan smiled and said, “Little monk, you’re so foolish. He was messing with you.”
“You lie!” the young monk said with a serious face. He spoke up for his brother, “Brother Jiese never messes around!”
Nanan pouted and said, “Your brother isn’t a proper monk anyway.”
The crowd had walked with Jiese for part of the journey. They knew about his temperament. In some ways, he was indeed not a proper monk.
Yuecha said, “Alright, Jiechi, hurry up and greet the guests.”
“Amitabha, greetings to everyone.” Jiechi clasped his palms and looked serious. He then looked at Yuecha with anticipation, “Tara, is Brother Jiese back yet?”
Yeucha answered, “You haven’t finished sweeping the leaves. Of course, he isn’t back yet.”
“Oh.” Jiechi lowered his head with disappointment. He turned back and went back to sweeping.
Yuecha looked at the little monk and introduced, “He’s an orphan. Someone put him at our door of the West Mountain Temple. His Buddha understanding’s no less than Jiese. He doesn’t have any major obstacles in life, but he has ‘fool’ written in his heart.”
Li Nianfan nodded. “So, you’re making him sweep the floor in hopes of easing his foolishness?”
“Mr. Li’s right. Indeed.” Yuecha nodded. “Jiese brought him in, the two have a close bond.”
Li Nianfan looked at the yard. He could feel that the little monk and the trees made a perfect drawing. The sight would calm one’s heart down.
Suddenly, he saw a tree by the side door. It was as tall as a human. The tree was thick with triangular-shaped leaves. They were jade green, contrasting with the yellow maple leaves.
He said, “That’s a bodhi tree?”
Yuecha said, “Yeah, I remember Mr. Li mentioned that this tree’s related to Buddha. So, I planted them all over the place.”
“It’s indeed a mystery.”
Following that, the crowd stayed in the Spiritual Mountain.
On the fourth day, Yuecha invited the crowd over early in the morning. The ceremony was about to start.
Ring, ring, ring…
The clock rang nine times.
Many monks had made preparations early in the morning. They were all standing at their designated spots. They had their palms facing inward, looking formal.
Li Nianfan and the rest were on top of the square. They were the witnesses and did not have to do anything. In simple words, they came here to make up for the numbers and to make the ceremony look better. They could even help promote this ceremony after going home.
After all, witnessing it and quietly helping to establish it was completely two different things.
Many monks were well-prepared. They were ready for all the procedures. Yeucha started by declaring words of gratitude.
On a mountain not far away, hundreds of black shadows quietly gathered. The Big Lord Demon was taking the lead, his eyes squinting in the direction of the temples. His eyes were filled with violence.
Big Lord Demon scoffed coldly with excitement, “Ha-ha, Lord Demon God’s wise. With this attack, Buddhism might as well vanish and never come back again!”
By his side, a demon agreed instantly, “Even back in the days when Buddhists were everywhere with Buddha guarding it, we still managed to wipe it out completely. Now, this is nothing, not even a small dish!”
“Well said!” Big Lord Demon looked at the demon feeling impressed. “What’s your name?”
The demon was excited. He answered, “My name’s Moyun.”
“You’re not bad. You’re much stronger than Backo and Amon.” Big Lord Demon was very pleased. He complained, “They were too terrified to come to the ordinary realm again! Cowards!”
Moyun nodded instantly, “Lord Demon’s right. We’ve always been undefeatable! We have nothing to fear!”
“Ha-ha-ha, nothing to fear! Well said. We’re on the same page! We need more promising demons like you!” Big Lord Demon was even more pleased.
Moyun was very excited. He could not wait much longer to impress Lord Demon. “Lord Demon, what are we waiting for? Let’s go and clear them out!”
“Wait! Are you crazy?!”
Big Lord Demon pulled Moyun back. He frowned, “Didn’t you see the Deluxe Merit Saint facing us? Come, follow me to find another way to attack.”
Instantly, hundreds of black shadows went into action, flying from this mountain to the opposite mountain.
“Lord Demon, let’s go!” Moyun started again. He was so excited that he could attack in the next moment.
“Okay, the demons aren’t afraid of anything! It’s time for us to show our power!” Big Lord Demon squinted his eyes. He scoffed, “Get ready, follow me…”
Meanwhile, Yuecha’s speech was almost at the end.
“Here, I’d like to thank a person with all sincerity. He’s Mr. Li. He’s the one who inspired me to establish Buddhism. Without him, there’d be no Yuecha today. Please, join me as I invite him over to initiate the ceremony!”
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Applause.
LI Nianfan was stunned. He stood up bitterly. Who would have thought that he would have a chance to perform on this occasion?
“Wait up!”
Big Lord Demon was terrified. He panicked and asked them to stop.
“The Deluxe Merit Saint went up to initiate the ceremony. I, the Lord Demon, am willing to show him some respect. Let’s attack after he leaves.”
Li Nianfan received the pair of scissors and did not look nervous. He smiled at the audience and said, “Thank you, Tara Yuecha, for inviting me over. I’ll initiate now.”
With that, the red cloth on the board was cut. Four words were shown, ‘West Sky Spiritual Mountain’.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Another round of applause.
The ceremony was about to finish.
After Li Nianfan had cut off the cloth, he did not go back to his spot. In fact, he stood on the other side.
Big Lord Demon growled through his gritted teeth, “Everyone, follow me. We’re changing directions!”
